Shizune Gaiden
by ANBUShizuka
Summary: My name is Shizune. I'm seven years old. I just lost both my parents and I now live with my oji-chan. I attend the Academy and my new friend is Hatake Kakashi. And frankly, he's a little strange. But he's cool too. Rated T for language. Ch. 1&2 REVISED
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm revising this story! Yay! I liked the idea I had for it but it kind of fell on the wayside because I turned..into a...well, I'm a really big TsuShizu fangirl, ok? But I still think they could be ok as a Mother-Daughter platonic thing too. So, thus, this story works! Because, really, Kakashi and Shizune as little kids? C'mon, that's just too cute.

[X]

"Hey, Shizune, look!" I grunted when Asuma's elbow connected with my gut. Sarutobi Asuma was my classmate and best friend. He was grinning idiotically and gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb. "It's that kid that everyone has been talking about- Hatake Kakashi."

I glanced at the door to the classroom and, sure enough, there stood Hatake Kakashi. Other than his outrageously spiky silver hair and piercing black eyes, I didn't see what was so special. I turned my attention back to Asuma, replying acidly, "So? What's the big deal?"

With a sigh, sounding almost relieved, my friend said, "Thank Kami-sama. I was worried you'd be like every other girl in Konoha and instantly fall in love with the guy. He's all right and stuff but he can be a real jerk."

I shrugged. "So can you." I grinned and punched my companion playfully in arm when he crossed his them over his chest and glared at me. I laughed, "I'm joking. You're my best friend, Asuma, you should know I like teasing you. And why would I be interested in him? He's five. I'm seven. Hello?"

"Yeah, yeah..." He rolled his eyes and smiled; I had been forgiven. And I soon forgot about Kakashi- for the time being, anyway.

[Two years later]

Biting back a whimper, I glared at my opponent. He was almost an ANBU-level jōnin and was an expert with weaponry. I grimaced; this was not good. I had just recently graduated the Academy, so I was a brand new genin. The man attacked again, lashing out with his naginata. I dodged and managed to get away with just a small scratch across my shoulder. He sneered, "You were wrong to mouth-off, kid. Now I'm mad."

I replied, anger tinting my voice, "You shouldn't have been pushing those kids around just because you're older and stronger. You should be protecting them." I whipped my hand cross-body, slinging a barrage of kunai and shuriken at the man. In turn, he disappeared from view. I panicked. "Come at me, you coward!" I shouted bravely.

"Gladly, kid." I froze. He was right behind me, hand extending past my face with a kunai pointing back at my chest. It came at me fast and I couldn't move. I wrenched my eyes shut, waiting for the overwhelming pain to shoot through my body. But it never came. Instead, I heard a foreign groan of pain and looked over my shoulder to see the jōnin writhing in pain. Above him, thin body poised for another strike, stood Hatake Kakashi.

I stood there in disbelief. Without looking at me, the silver-haired boy asked, "Are you all right, Shizune-san?"

"Y-yes, thank you, Hatake-san," I mumbled. Cautiously, I stepped forward. The man under Kakashi moved in that instant, pushing the boy away from him. Stumbling a little, my savior did not lose objective. He turned to me with a determined look and nodded. I returned the notion and we both took action.

Tossing me a line of wire, Kakashi said, "Hold this tight and tie it off over there on that post." I observed where he was talking about and gave a nod of understanding before doing as instructed. He did the same on the other side of our improvised battle arena of the alley. Then, we proceeded to lure our opponent via provocation. Kakashi yelled, "Hey, jerk! You get your kicks out of scaring girls? That's low! What trash!"

I added, "Especially when the girl is a third of your size and you're getting way too close to her. That's just gross. You're some weird kind of pervert!"

At that, the man charged at us; we raced back, having made sure the wire could not be seen. After we passed it, we heard a loud thud. And Kakashi rounded mid-step to knock our opponent out of the battle. Needless to say, after being defeated by two kids, the man slunk away with his metaphorical tail between his legs. I opened my mouth to thank my companion, only to be interrupted by a smooth but- familiarly- angry voice. "Shizune, you had better explain exactly why you just fought a jōnin; and it should be a good reason too." I turned slowly, not wanting to confirm it was who I knew it was. As surely as the day was long, Tsunade-sama stood behind me; her arms were crossed beneath her breasts and she was scowling. Odd, I figured, since anger typically didn't look good on people that she should still look drop-dead gorgeous while being upset. But that was Tsunade-sama for you: a beautiful woman with tragic, terrible luck.

I blushed. I stammered, "W-well, I j-just-"

"It was my idea, Senju-sama." The onyx-eyed boy stepped up beside me, saying, "I asked her to help me defeat that man and show him the error of his ways. I arrived shortly after Shizune-san started scolding that idiot about pushing little kids around just because they were brand new shinobi."

Tsunade-sama glanced at me, quirking one of her brows. I nodded timidly. With a small smile, the Sannin uncrossed her arms and reached over to gently run her fingers through my hair. I smiled too, at that point and looked up at her adoringly. "Very well. Hatake-san, would you like to have dinner with us?"

"Don't worry, Hatake-san. I'm the one cooking. We wouldn't want anyone to get food poisoning," chimed my oji-chan. He had walked up mid-way through Kakashi's story. Dan, my oji-chan, had the kindest demeanor of any person I had ever met.

Playfully, Tsunade-sama slapped my oji-chan's arm and protested, "My cooking isn't that bad, Dan-kun!"

I laughed at the exchange; anyone could tell that my oji-chan and Tsunade-sama loved one another. All at once, I was swept up into a pair of strong but gentle arms and I smiled brightly as Tsunade-sama held me. She kissed my cheek and I blushed. I whined, "Tsunade-sama, put me down. I'm not a little kid anymore."

"How about letting me carry you on my shoulders, Shizune-chan? Just like old times, right?" Oji-chan smiled at me softly. I couldn't say no to him. I leaped onto his shoulders, chuckling when his hands wrapped around my ankles to keep me secured. "There we go." My oji-chan turned his grey-blue eyes on Kakashi, questioning, "Well, would you like to have dinner with us?"

For a moment, I saw hesitation flash across the boy's features and I wondered if he was going to refuse. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Yes, thank you, Katō-san."

"Good! Now, come along, Hatake-san," chirped the blonde Sannin. Oji-chan had already begun moving and I looked over my shoulder to see Tsunade-sama grasp Kakashi's hand in hers and speak quietly with him as they walked behind us. I scowled, feeling a slight pang of jealousy; however, I soon quelled it, as I remembered that Kakashi's okā-san had died a few years ago on a mission. Just as mine had...I shook my head.

"Shi-chan." I looked down at oji-chan, peeking into his eyes as he tilted his head back to peer at me. I grunted in response. "Don't be sad, all right? Onē-san..." His eyes got misty; I frowned. He continued, blinking back the tears, "Onē-san is so proud of you. I'm sure of it. And she's probably watching over you and I every step of the way." Oji-chan smiled brightly and I couldn't help but to return the gesture. Turning so that we faced backwards, he called out, "Hey, Tsu-chan!"

"What?" replied the amber-eyed woman.

"I'll race you home! Loser has to go buy groceries!" And with that, he turned, heaved me off of his shoulders and onto his back, and began sprinting. Suddenly, Tsunade-sama was beside us, carrying Kakashi in a similar manner. The younger boy and I looked at one another in a confused manner.

I shouted over the rush of air, "Adults are weird!"

He nodded. "Yeah! Remind me that I'm never gonna flirt like this when I fall in love!"

"Promise me you'll do the same and you've got a deal!" I giggled.

"Promise!" Even though the silver-haired boy was wearing a mask, I could tell he was smiling.

I clung to my oji-chan's back, taking in his scent and enjoying the simple act of being loved and having fun. We arrived home- which is actually Tsunade-sama's apartment- and discovered it was a draw. I suggested, "Why don't you and Tsunade-sama go get groceries? Kakashi and I will get the table set and watch TV." With a sly smile, I snickered, "Plus, it'll give you two time to be lovey dovey and Kakashi and I don't have to be grossed out."

Quickly, I grasped the front of Kakashi's shirt, grinned and burst into the apartment, closing the door behind me. "Shizune! Get back out here, young lady! I'm gonna take you for a training session! It's over broken bones and how to heal them when it's your bones!" Tsunade-sama screamed after me. I laughed, hearing the amusement in her voice.

"How the hell have you survived with that madwoman dating Dan-sensei?" Kakashi stood in front of me, hands on his hips, onyx eyes narrowed in disbelief.

I shrugged. I replied, "She's actually very kind. But, like it is with almost every shinobi in history, she has lost someone dear to her. So, she has a small chip in her shoulder but Tsunade-sama still has a heart of gold."

The silver-haired jōnin nodded slowly, apparently trying to grasp the full weight of what I had said. Then, turning on his heel, the boy moved on to explore the Sannin's apartment. It was large due to the fact that her family was well-off and was furnished rather tastefully. "You live here?"

"With oji-chan and Tsunade-sama," I responded. I followed him, watching carefully as he took everything in. I asked, "Why did you jump in and save me?"

"Don't know. Just did. Had to. Something along those lines," the younger boy stated.

I bit back a growl and simply said, "Well, thank you."

"Anytime, Shizune-chan," he chimed. At that, I blinked back some surprise. He smiled- I could tell because his eyes were- and extended his hand to me. "Show me around?"

I grinned and grabbed his hand, noticing how warm and strong the contact was. I felt a little bit of heat rush to my cheeks but I shook it off. Kakashi was seven. I was nine. I was not interested. After showing him around the large apartment, we set the table in the kitchen and went to the living room. We sat on opposite ends of the futon and I turned on the TV, surfing for something interesting to watch. Slowly, after settling on an action cartoon, we relaxed. I hadn't even realized I had fallen asleep until I heard the door open and shut. My eyes flickered open and I turned my head groggily to glare at the intruders. "What took you so long?"

"Shi-chan, we were only gone for thirty-five minutes," my oji-chan chided gently. I groaned; sometimes being a kid made things feel like forever.

Tsunade-sama sauntered into the room and lifted me from where I sat on the futon. I grumbled in protest but otherwise said nothing as she sat back down with me in her lap. Then, she started combing her fingers through my hair. I sighed happily and rested against her, trying desperately to keep my eyes open. She mumbled, "You can go ahead and nap a little longer, Shizune-chan. Dinner won't be ready for an hour or so." My eyes closed again and I drifted off. Silently, I noted that Kakashi was napping on the other end of the futon, his arms wrapped around my favorite pillow.

'Funny,' I thought. After we were roused for dinner, Kakashi and I practically sleepwalked into the kitchen and barely made it through the meal. We were exhausted from our match earlier.

Finally, Tsunade-sama scooped me up in her arms and giggled quietly, "Time for bed, Shizune-chan." I vaguely recalled getting dressed in bed clothes and brushing my teeth. Then, I felt myself get tucked into bed next to my younger companion. A soft kiss landed on my cheek. "Good night, Shizune-chan. I love you."

"G'night...Tsu...na..de-kā...san..." I managed to mutter between small yawns. Gently, an arm landed across my waist and I drifted to sleep, noting the soft musky scent of Kakashi and how I happened to like it.

[X]


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Another chapter revision! After this chapter, all the chapters will be brand new! I hope everyone goes back through and reads the new revisions...

[X]

Bright light flickered into my vision, coloring my eyelids red. I winced in pain; who in the name of the almighty Kami-sama was causing that offensive light? Cautiously, I cracked one eye open. At the end of the bed, Kakashi sat with the TV on. I growled, "What time is it?"

"Uhm...does it matter?" he questioned. I blinked, realizing that instead of an actual mask, he wore a bandana tied around his face. Then, turning away, he muttered, "I...I couldn't sleep, ok? It's three o'clock."

I sat up and crossed my legs, gazing at my companion intently. I asked, "Why couldn't you sleep? Nightmares or something?"

"No, for once. Same for you?" His onyx eyes locked with mine and I felt blood rush to my face again. He explained, "Right after you fell asleep, Tsunade-sama told me that you get nightmares almost every night...and to come get her if you started to get one. But you never once did so much as whimper. In fact, you remained quite peaceful..."

"Oh, uh...yeah, I didn't have any nightmares either," I replied quietly. We sat there in silence for a while until I moved from beneath the covers and sprawled beside Kakashi at the end of the bed. He smiled down at me and we became enthralled with whatever was on TV. At some point, I must've fallen asleep again because I felt a hand rub my back, lightly rousing me into awareness. "Huh?"

"Shizune-chan, it's time to wake up. You're going to be late for class," Tsunade-sama chuckled. At that, I jumped up, frantic. She started laughing, tears rolling down her elegantly rounded cheeks. I scowled. She said, between gasping breaths, "Don't worry, Shi-chan, I'm kidding! It's only eight o'clock!"

I pouted, "That's not funny! I honestly thought I was gonna be late! I've never been late before!" Angrily, I stomped down the hall to the laundry room to grab my freshly dried clothes.

"Shi-chan," my oji-chan chimed, "it's time for breakfast. C'mon, I fixed rice with milk and sugar. Just like you like it." He had poked his silvery-purple-haired head into the doorway; I smiled.

I raced out of the room, anxious for breakfast. I was ravenous, for some reason. At the table, Tsunade-sama and Kakashi already sat, eating quietly. Upon my entry, however, the blonde Sannin looked up and smiled at me devilishly. She giggled, "Morning! Sleep well?"

"Yes?" I was worried. She only gave me that grin when she knew something I didn't and- nine times out of ten- it pertained to me. When there was a knock at the front door, I bolted, shouting, "I'll get it!" I was frantic to get away from that shockingly sadistic medic. Opening the door, I smiled brightly. "Hey, Asuma!"

"Hey, Shizune! What's up?" He ambled in, taking his time as he always did. That was certainly Sarutobi Asuma. Always going at his own pace because he could never be hurried by someone else. He glanced at me, asking, "So, what happened yesterday? We were supposed to meet up for ramen."

I paled. He was right. I replied, quietly, "I got into a fight with a jōnin..." Asuma's eyes widened. "Almost ANBU level. I was about to die when Kakashi stepped in."

"Kakashi? As in Hatake Kakashi?" he questioned incredulously. His eyes narrowed a little.

About to confirm this, a voice interrupted, "Good morning, Asuma-san." In walked Kakashi, bandana hanging loosely around his neck. He smiled and for some reason, I felt my heart flutter. Silver hair shining softly in the morning sunlight that filtered through the big windows, the seven-year-old extended his hand to the taller boy and announced, "I'm learning to be a little more open. Friends?"

Asuma looked dumbfounded and, I'm sure, so did I. I watched as the raven-haired boy reached out and clasped Kakashi's hand firmly, giving a grin. "Friends."

I smiled. A noise stirred in the doorway to the entry and I glanced over my shoulder to see Tsunade-sama watching the three of us wistfully. I moved next to her and clasped her larger hand in mine and smiled brightly up at her. She turned her gaze to me and I saw something in her eyes- it was the look a mother gave her child when she was incredibly content and happy. "Tsunade-sama?"

"Yes, Shi-chan?" The woman ducked down low, leaning in close to listen to me.

I whispered, "Do you think that Kakashi, Asuma and me can all be friends?"

"Well, yes, of course. I don't see why not," the blonde replied, "Although, both of them seem quite lazy for your type of normal energy."

"It makes it more fun to coax them into doing as I say," I chuckled.

"Good girl, Shi-chan! See, I knew there was more to you and this Kakashi boy," giggled the wily Senju. She kissed my cheek and I feigned disgust, causing my friends to laugh. "How are you, Saru-chan? Your old man doin' all right?"

"You should know; you are his student, after all," groused Asuma. Then, he added, "Anyway, I'm fine."

"Want some breakfast? Or do you three just want to go to school?" Tsunade-sama questioned.

All three of us deadpanned, "Absolutely not." But, admittedly, we did have to leave. I grabbed my messenger bag and slipped my sandals on, grinning at my oji-chan. I chirped, "See you after school!"

"Later, Shi-chan! Oh! Kakashi-san, will you be staying again? I heard that Sakumo-san was on a rather lengthy mission again," oji-chan asked as the three of us walked out the door. He and Tsunade-sama stood in the doorway, concerned looks on their faces.

My silver-haired friend glanced at me and I shrugged. He nodded, "If it is all right with you, of course." When my oji-chan smiled, I knew it was more than all right. Then, grasping my hand, he hurried off while I narrowly managed to catch Asuma's fingers with mine. "Dan-sensei is nice. He cooks really well too."

"Yeah, he does. What's the rush, Kakashi?" I called as we raced through the streets, weaving in and out of crowds.

"Well, we're a solid two hours late to class," he explained with a grin; he had replaced the bandana with a mask again and the only way I could tell he was smiling was from the way his cheeks curved and how his eyes shined.

"Two hours?" I gasped, "How are we two hours late? Aw, dang, I have flower arranging today!"

"I thought you had that yesterday," my silver-haired companion quipped.

"We have it again today," I retorted.

"How can you girls honestly have that much to learn about flowers? They're just plants!" Kakashi snorted. We ran all the way to the Academy, all the way through the halls until we halted in front of my class. I grimaced; two hands squeezed mine and I glanced to either side of myself. Asuma stood on one side, an easy smile on his face. Kakashi, on the other side, cocked his head to the side and chirped, "Well, I hope you have a good day. I'll wait outside of class for you so we can walk back to your place together." Then, he let go of my hand in order to pull me into a hug. "Later, Shizune-chan."

I blushed, watching as he darted down the hallway to where he was meeting his sensei. From beside me, I could hear and feel Asuma chuckle. He laughed, "Looks like someone's got a crush!"

Rounding on him, I protested, "Who? Not me! He's-"

"I know. 'He's seven. I'm nine. Hello,' right?" He grinned at me. I slapped him and stormed into my class; he called after me, "See ya later, Shizune!"

"Shizune-san! Why on earth are you so late?" exclaimed my teacher. I winced; this was not a good start. I knew that taking extra classes after graduation was a bad idea.

[X]

I shuffled out of class when we were dismissed, angry and upset by the fact that my teacher had given me a detention. I grumbled, "Jerk..." I didn't mean it, really, because there were times when Tatsumi-sensei could be nice. But lately, those times were few and far between. Besides, all I missed was another lecture on flower arranging. It was pointless. I had no talent for the activity, I hated it and it made a minimal difference in my grade. If anything, I found the roots fascinating for the amazing things they could do; they could heal, they could kill, they could paralyze. There was so much potential in them. As I turned to walk down the hall, I nearly walked right into Kakashi. He smiled softly at me and held out his hand. I brushed by him, snarling, "You got me in trouble."

"I'm sorry, Shizune-chan. Do you want me to stay at my house tonight, so I won't bother you?" Kakashi asked, his voice sincere. I stopped, looking back at him. His head was cocked to the side, onyx eyes staring at me questioningly.

I shook my head, muttering, "Sorry. I got a detention- my first one. So I'm a little irritable right now. No, I don't want you to do that. I'd much prefer it if you stayed the night again. I had fun last night."

"Good! Me too! So, do you wanna pick up some food and walk back to your place?" He walked up beside me, taking my hand in his. I nodded, smiling at him. As we continued down the hallway, I noticed some of the dirty looks that were thrown my way. Rolling his eyes, my silver-haired friend said, "Ignore them."

"Ok?" I glared back at them, smirking when they turned their heads away. Then, I asked, "Kakashi, why were they looking at me like that?"

"They think you're my girlfriend," he replied simply, as if it were common knowledge.

I could feel the blood rush to my face as I blushed and stuttered, "B-but-"

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi stated. We stopped in the market, picking up some fried noodles with vegetables and some dumplings for dinner. As we walked home, we continued to talk about how our days had gone. My companion winced, saying, "Ouch. Sorry I got you a detention. I can learn a mind-wiping jutsu and make your sensei forget all about it."

I laughed as I opened the door to Tsunade-sama's apartment, "No way. Don't even try, Kakashi-kun."

"Hey, you two! Ah! Dan, they bought dinner!" Tsunade-sama chirped as she greeted us in the entryway. She had apparently just gotten back from a day-long mission, seeing as she was in her typical jōnin attire.

"Sweet! I don't have to cook!" My oji-chan entered as well, greeting Tsunade-sama with a chaste kiss on the lips; I giggled quietly as he picked me up to treat me to a kiss as well. "How was school, Shi-chan?"

I groaned, delving into an overly dramatic version of my day, complaining about Tatsumi-sensei's unfair punishment. We ate dinner to a rather colorful story of Tsunade-sama's mission and enjoyed a thrilling evening watching a movie about a serial killer. When I yawned, Tsunade-sama pulled me into her lap and whispered, "Is he sweet, Shi-chan?"

"Yeah..." I nodded into her neck, taking in how sweet she smelled after she had cleaned up. I mumbled, "I'm tired..."

She giggled and I frowned. The pretty blonde shifted to whisper something in my oji-chan's ear, causing me to move in her lap. I grunted my disapproval, getting a kiss on the forehead as an apology. "Tomorrow is Saturday. You can sleep in, Shi-chan. We'll do something special just because, all right?"

"Ok," I whispered. Tsunade-sama lifted me into her arms securely as she stood, walking off towards the bathroom so she could help me change in private. As she slipped the shirt over my head and replaced it with my standard tanktop, she kissed my cheek. I moaned, "What?"

"Nothing. You're a good girl, Shi-chan. And I love you." She grew serious and I paid attention as she said, "I'll never try to replace her...but I think of you as my own. This is a first for me since Nawaki..." Tears clouded her eyes as she finished, "I love you, musume-chan."

"Okā-chan..." I wrapped my arms around her neck and whimpered, "Thank you for giving me another family."

She finished helping me change; then, she just held me for a while. We stayed like that until oji-chan knocked on the door. Gazing at us lovingly, he murmured, "Looks like my two favorite girls in the world need some sleep." He reached out for me, taking me into his strong arms. I noted the tiny scars that covered his arms but said nothing, deciding it was best to stay quiet. Oji-chan carried me back to the living room, setting me on the futon next to Kakashi. Then, he kissed my cheek as my eyes slid shut and quietly sang a lullaby that my okā-chan had always sang to me.

[X]


End file.
